Leicester School; Leicester Elementary School
1940
31 Gilbert Rd.
Standing
Educational
An impressive edifice sited on a hill in its small rural community, the Leicester School was a major WPA-supported project. The 22-classroom brick building in restrained modern style, which was built at a cost of $200,000 and described in the Asheville Citizen-Times of June 9, 1940, as “the last word in school construction.” The newspaper printed a photograph and lengthy description of the school and the events that led up to its construction. The primary grades were to be in classrooms on the first floor, the high school on the second story. In addition to classrooms and offices, it had such important amenities as an auditorium and a gymnasium, a great improvement over previous rural schools. The construction of the school resulted from lengthy efforts by local citizens to obtain funding despite problems at the local and federal levels. It now serves as the Leicester Elementary School.